Now that the itinerary has been decided, the next thing Emrys needs to do is recover from his injuries!
Although he had no external wounds, continuous combat on Draconys and repeated clashes with Angron and the Daemon Primarch had left him mentally exhausted.
Of course, there was an even more important point: he had to perform a 'Mass'.
The so-called 'Mass' was more of a ritual.
It was a ceremony held by the 'Ecclesiarchy', which could effectively remove Warp curses for psykers, alleviate highly strained spirits, and thus reduce the probability of corruption and falling.
Given Emrys' current psyker strength, it had reached a level that the Imperium had to take seriously.
Performing the Ecclesiarchy's Mass ritual thus became one of the necessary 'courses'.
It purified and baptized his spirit, while also reforging his faith in the Emperor and strengthening his resistance to the Warp and the Chaos Gods.
Listening to the Ecclesiarchy priest drone on for an entire day, Emrys felt like he was about to sprout lice. And this was just one day; the Mass ritual was to last a full seven days!
He finally understood why his 'Knight' Mr. preferred to give up his privileged noble status and run off to become a free knight. He was nearly driven mad in just seven days, while Mr. had endured decades!
Fortunately, the seven-day Mass soon ended, and Emrys' ears finally found some peace.
After washing up, he stood in front of the mirror.
In the mirror, wreathed in steam, stood an exceptionally handsome young man. His black, choppy hair was damp with moisture, falling casually and disheveled, but even more striking were the faint golden strands intertwined deep within his brown eyes.
In addition, his naked upper body was covered in vivid red, evil-looking tattoos, as if scorched by fire!
This tattoo was both Khorne's 'blessing' and his 'curse'.
'Eightfold Blessing'!
Emrys frowned. From the position covered by the tattoo, it had expanded from the initial one arm to half a shoulder.
Moreover, the changes brought by the 'tattoo' were not just in area.
Every muscle on his body became sharply defined, like a sculpture by an ancient Greek Sir, utterly perfect.
This meant that while Emrys' physique didn't appear very strong to the naked eye, he could actually feel that, in terms of pure strength, he was almost on par with a modified Astartes!
Ordinary sharp weapons could only leave a white mark on his skin.
A powerful grip with his bare hands even reached an astonishing 1.5 tons!
One must know that a Space Marine, while wearing power armor, has a grip strength of about 2.7 tons. Yet, without any modifications, he could crush a piece of steel with his bare hands, which shows how terrifying Khorne's blessing was!
Besides that, Emrys also discovered something else.
"Hmm?" As he walked out of the bathroom, he was somewhat surprised to find that he had grown taller again!
The reason for using 'again' was because he had previously noticed that since the Battle of Draconys, his height had reached about 1.85 meters.
And now, after just a few days of rest, Emrys was surprised to find that his height had actually reached 1.9 meters!
The doorframe, which originally had some distance from his head, he almost bumped into, as it was now level with his eyes.
"Secondary development?"
Emrys' heart trembled slightly, but he immediately dismissed the thought.
How could that be?!
He wasn't a teenager anymore!
Even in the Warhammer Universe, human genes have undergone tens of thousands of years of evolution, but it's absolutely impossible for this to cause such a situation.
To make him suddenly grow ten centimeters in just a few days!
Emrys, who had been in a good mood after his shower, suddenly felt a sense of heaviness after discovering the strange changes in his body.
He pushed the door open. Telax was still in the room, silently guarding him.
"You" Emrys turned his gaze to the habitually silent Custodian, hesitated for a moment, and tentatively asked, "Have you noticed that I've grown taller recently?"
Telax looked sideways, his tactical visor under his golden helmet fixed for a few seconds before he uttered a hoarse voice.
"What do you want to ask?"
ran 1
Emrys twitched his lips, feeling that communicating with the Custodian was truly difficult.
He took a deep breath.
"I mean, is this situation normal?"
Actually, what he really wanted to ask was, do psykers experience physical changes after advancing in psyker power?
Or, do humans blessed by Khorne experience such changes?
But considering the Custodian's stance, he could only use an indirect approach.
"This is quite normal," Telax's voice was low and hoarse, saying, "By human standards, you are still in a growth phase. Such changes are nothing to worry about."
God TM growth phase... Emrys was speechless.
Have you ever seen a human in his twenties who is still in a growth phase?
"Never mind," Emrys shook his head, throwing the jumbled thoughts out of his mind.
"Help me inform the two Primarchs; we're ready to depart."
"Yes."
Telax lowered his head and then walked out of the room.
It must be said, ever since the lesson of the Lion's Iron Fist last time, the Custodian had become much more obedient.
Emrys changed his clothes and, led by a handmaiden, arrived at the lower deck of the Macragge's Glory.
Guilliman and the Lion were already waiting there.
"Aren't you going to rest for a few more days?" The Lion frowned slightly, seemingly not wanting him to leave so soon.
"Yes, Lion, lord Regent."
Emrys politely performed the noble Aquila salute to the two Primarchs and stated his thoughts.
"The Astronomican is extinguished; I must restart it as soon as possible. This is for the Imperium, and it is for the Emrys Fleet. I cannot refuse."
"Alright."
Seeing this, the Lion said no more, only admonishing him to be careful in everything.
Then, under the gaze of the two Primarchs, Emrys and his Custodian escort, Telax, boarded a small Thunderhawk gunship.
To go to Gomorrah, Dark Eldar guidance is required. According to Emrys' agreement with the Dark Eldar Succubus, he holds a call device, and when the time is right, Anna will take him to Gomorrah.
But the problem is, if he is on the Macragge's Glory, the Dark Eldar would never dare to intrude, unless they were insane.
With two Primarchs present, who knows if they would take this opportunity to capture her and 'instantly refine' her?
Even with the Primarchs' 'guarantee', Anna would not believe it.
Because humanity's 'credibility', especially regarding promises to xenos, had been overdrawn since the Emperor's generation!
Therefore, Emrys and Anna's agreement was slightly altered.
After the Thunderhawk gunship moved out of the Macragge's Glory's attack and detection range, she would use the Webway to directly jump onto this gunship, using Dark Eldar technology to take them directly into the 'Webway'.
After boarding the Thunderhawk gunship, Emrys took out the 'token' the Succubus had given him.
"A miniature Warp communicator?"
Terrachs immediately recognized the function of this 'token.' Before Emrys could speak, he explained, "This device can unilaterally send a Warp message to a receiver."
"Mm."
Emrys nodded and pressed the device.
Next, it was a matter of waiting for a reply.
He had originally thought that Warp communication would take a long time, but it was actually very fast; a line of coordinates immediately appeared on the communicator.
"Are we supposed to go here?" Emrys wasn't surprised; given the cautious attitude of the Dark Eldar, doing so was understandable.
It should be known that Lyon's abilities, revealed during the Battle of Draconys, had probably already been noted by the secretly observing Dark Eldar. This ability to ignore space and directly jump from the Warp made the Dark Eldar extremely wary.
Although the Thunderhawk gunship had already left the attack range of the 'Pride of Macragge,' who knew if Lyon would suddenly appear?
After memorizing the coordinates, Emrys turned to the pilot and said, "Input these coordinates."
The silent journey continued for several days.
Just as the Thunderhawk gunship's fuel was about to run out, they finally arrived at the coordinates: an asteroid in a specific region of an asteroid belt on the edge of the Iconoclast System.
After donning his power armor, Emrys and Terrachs boarded the asteroid at these coordinates.
"Long time no see, lord Emrys~"
Suddenly, a charming, captivating voice came through the vacuum.
Terrachs abruptly turned around, his power halberd glowing. He stepped halfway, blocking Emrys, his gaze immediately locking onto the target hiding in the shadow. He unhesitatingly drew his Custodian Guard-exclusive bolter and pulled the trigger at that shadow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The specially modified bolter's rate of fire and power were unmatched by weapons used by ordinary Space Marines.
Several flaming bolter rounds, even in the vacuum of space, still moved at extreme speed, like streaks of light, shattering the rock formation.
Bang!
As the rock shattered, the shadow hidden behind it suddenly flashed to the side.
"Hmph," Terrachs snorted coldly, continuing to lock on and fire, giving the opponent no space to dodge.
Dense bolter rounds rained down on the black shadow, startling the opponent who hurriedly dodged, shouting in the brief pause, "Wait, it's me~ Anna!"
"Stop."
Seeing the other party speak, Emrys finally called a halt.
Terrachs immediately stopped, the barrel of his bolter emitting hot smoke, but his tactical optics still locked onto the opponent's figure.
"Lord Emrys, you're truly heartless."
The one who spoke these words was Anna the Succubus, who had met Emrys twice before.
"Honestly, what if I accidentally got killed?" Anna said, feigning annoyance, and even gave Emrys a flirtatious look.
"Then you would just be unlucky."
Emrys said with a calm expression, "If it were that easy to be killed, I wouldn't need to go to Commorragh."
Anna, who had intended to hide in the dark and scare him but almost suffered the consequences of being blasted to death by a Custodian Guard from afar, was once again rebuked. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and glared at Emrys.
But Emrys had to admit.
The Dark Eldar were exceptionally gifted, truly worthy of being the most mysterious race in the Milky Way Galaxy. They always liked to appear and disappear like ghosts, difficult even for the Custodian Guard to detect.
It was no wonder so many nobles secretly hired these guys to assassinate political rivals.
Knowing she wouldn't gain an advantage, Anna simply stopped showing off.
"Lord Emrys, for the rest of the journey, you'll need to board our Ark. You—you wouldn't mind, would you?"
Although the Thunderhawk gunship could travel in the universe, it lacked the ability to enter the Warp and was not equipped with the corresponding 'Geller Field,' making it unable to withstand the erosion of Chaos.
So Anna's suggestion, that they transfer to a Dark Eldar small Ark, was quite reasonable.
"Good."
Adhering to the attitude of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do,' Emrys did not doubt and agreed to her proposal.
"Thank you for your trust, lord Emrys~" Anna twisted her seductive body, just about to approach Emrys to flirt, when she saw the Custodian Guard, who had been guarding him, suddenly raise his hand and wave!
Swish!
The massive power halberd unleashed a golden energy blade, separating her from Emrys.
Terrachs looked down from above at this alien, his blood-red tactical optics revealing a hint of chill and sternness.
"Tch."
Anna pouted, knowing that with the Custodian Guard present, she couldn't get close to Emrys. She then ran her hand through her hair and put on a smile again.
"Please wait a moment, lord Emrys, we're ready to depart~"
Clap! Clap!
Anna smiled and waved her hand.
Then, above the asteroid, the black expanse of space seemed to twist, gradually revealing a small black vessel.
Unlike the ships of Humans and Craftworld Eldar, Dark Eldar vessels were generally more aggressive in appearance, looking like a streamlined throwing dart. The front was a slender conical bow, the rear slightly tapered, with smooth lines and no sharp edges. On both sides of the ship were backward-sweeping, extended blade-like metal wings, whose edges were extremely sharp, capable of easily cutting through the outer metal of Human warships.
"Sorry~ lord Emrys," Anna was the first to jump onto this small warship, waving to them.
"Large warships are very precious to us, so we can only trouble you to temporarily use this smaller 'Venom' skiff."
The Venom skiff was not very large, about a dozen meters long, containing only a few individual cockpits. It functioned more like a transport vehicle used to quickly carry soldiers during war.
Emrys boarded first, followed closely by Terrachs, and the two sat down in turn.
The only problem was that the cockpit of the Dark Eldar skiff was indeed a bit 'cramped' for a Custodian Guard who stood three meters tall.
Terrachs had to crouch, even entrusting his power halberd to Emrys for temporary safekeeping, just to barely squeeze himself in.
"I'm so sorry, lord Golden 'Big Corn.'" Although Anna said she was sorry, there was no hint of apology on her face; she even looked somewhat gleeful.
"This was designed for us Dark Eldar, so you'll just have to bear with it for now."
The Dark Eldar never held grudges, because they settled them on the spot. Who told this golden giant to make her look so disheveled just now?
As a guest, Emrys found it hard to say much. He could only give a wry smile and shake his head, giving Terrachs a look, signaling him to calm down and not chop Anna to death in a fit of pique.
Otherwise, no one would take them to Commorragh.
And it was true; if it weren't for Emrys' sake, a Custodian Guard could crush her in a minute!
A Succubus?
Not a few daemons had died at the hands of the Custodian Guard, let alone a mere Dark Eldar?
Next, the Dark Eldar's 'Poison Fang' skimmer actually 'drilled' directly into the space in front of them.
Using 'drilled' to describe it isn't quite accurate.
More precisely, it was like entering a 'gateway,' and there happened to be an entrance here.
"This is—the Webway?!"
Emrys' eyes flickered as he asked.
The Warp isn't a place you can just enter anywhere; you must find areas where the reality barrier is weak, and the Human Imperium's warships' engines and technology clearly don't match the characteristics of the Dark Eldar.
Combining the above circumstances, Emrys boldly speculated that the location above this asteroid was an opening to the Webway from before the Eldar Imperium split!
"That's right."
Anna smiled faintly, "This is one of the Webway's entrances."
"Aren't you afraid that we'll find out?" Emrys raised an eyebrow, probing.
"Afraid of what?" Anna curved her lips, a hint of disdain appearing on her alluring face.
"Afraid that you humans will know this is a 'Webway' entrance? Hahahaha—"
Anna's face was filled with pride and arrogance, and a sneering contempt for humans.
"The Webway is our creation.
Even if you know the entrance is here, the Webway is a labyrinth of crisscrossing paths; you wouldn't be able to find the correct route if you went in.
Emrys narrowed his eyes, gazing at this 'entrance' tunnel, and smiled meaningfully.
"Is that so? That might—not be the case."
Currently, humans cannot control the Webway, but in the future, who knows.
"Lord Emrys is joking~"
Anna smiled, full of disbelief.
Humans?
Creatures with only tens of thousands of years of history, are they worthy of being compared to the glorious Eldar?!
Even the fallen Dark Eldar were 'once great ancestors,' their forefathers fought the War in Heaven and ruled the entire Milky Way Galaxy.
Undisputed overlords.
As for humans?
They are still far from being so-called 'overlords.'
"Heh heh."
Emrys naturally saw the disdain in Anna's heart, but he was too lazy to explain.
The Webway?
An Old Ones creation?
One day, he would decipher this thing and bring it completely under the Imperium of Man's control!
"Tell me about Commorragh."
Emrys asked Anna with considerable curiosity.
He was very interested in this city, which had always been shrouded in mystery to the outside world.
Commorragh, the city where the Dark Eldar reside, is located in the deepest part of the 'Webway' built by the Old Ones.
It is said to be a central port built by the Eldar Imperium during the peak of its civilization, used for rapid transit within the 'Webway' to reach various Webway entrances and exits throughout the Milky Way Galaxy.
The Dark Eldar factions, led by the 'Cabal,' control most areas of Commorragh.
But unlike what the outside world imagines.
Commorragh is not limited to the Dark Eldar; besides the Eldar, there are also many slaves, humans, xenos, Orks, and so on—it's like an extremely complex hodgepodge, a melting pot of the major warring races within the Milky Way Galaxy.
Among these people, some are seeking refuge, some are simply seeking thrills, and there are also abducted slaves, experimental subjects, and so on.
Even if you are a criminal wanted by the Inquisition, a piece of trash fallen to Chaos, you can come to Commorragh.
Commorragh provides these scumbags, chaos cultists, criminals, and slaves a place to vent freely, and in return—they only need to pay a very small price to the Cabal.
This is a paradise of sin!
If Gotham City is a paradise of sin, then Commorragh is the source of sin!
The information Emrys knew was limited to this; he didn't know anything more specific, as information and intelligence about Commorragh were extremely rare, even in the Dark Angels' database.
"No amount of words can describe 'Commorragh.'" However, Anna shook her head; it wasn't that she was unwilling, but that Commorragh was difficult to describe in words.
"Only when you see 'it' with your own eyes will you understand its greatness."
These Webways, spread throughout the Warp, are like blood vessels within a giant organism, and they are microorganisms sailing within those 'blood vessels.'
Soon, the skimmer entered a rift.
"We're here."
Anna said from the front.
Suddenly, Emrys' vision became extremely expansive, as if an inverted world of scenery entered his eyes.
It was like a floating platform composed of billions of dimensional fragments, with twisted metal pipes and screaming nerve bundles exposed at the edges.
Viscous dark green liquid dripped from the cracks, falling into an abyss of unknown depth, whether above or below, never-ending.
Looking up, two dying stars, entangled by chain-like energy, hung high above the inverted floating platform, made of billions of dimensional fragments, where up, down, left, right, front, and back were all relative.
"Those are Commorragh's energy sources—the 'Dark Suns.'" Anna's gaze was devout and morbid as she stared at the two pitch-black dying stars.
"Lord Emrys, look—how beautiful they are."
Beautiful?
Emrys didn't think so.
Under the light of those two intensely exploited stars, the dying twilight made the already deformed and twisted 'Commorragh' even more terrifying, like a corpse preserved in formaldehyde!
The Dark Eldar, using extremely cruel technology, captured these two stars and, with a perfect 'Dyson Sphere'-like device, extracted and squeezed every bit of energy from them, completely disregarding the future.
This is also true to the essence of the Dark Eldar, who exploit other beings to the fullest, extracting pathological emotions and pain, purely to achieve momentary pleasure.
Seeing Emrys' silence, Anna, unaware of his thoughts, piloted the skimmer into the uppermost layer of the platform composed of billions of dimensional fragments.
This is… the real Commorragh?
Emrys gazed at this mysterious city with astonished eyes.
Madness and elegance, morbidity and art!
Commorragh was like a deformed symbiont; spires thousands of feet high, like the fangs of a giant beast, pierced towards the Dark Suns, and the metal covering the towers, along with creeping of biological fat, made it seem alive.
The slave flesh and blood poured into the metal cracks even twitched convulsively,
The screams of souls echoed!
And at higher elevations, bright crystals, a magnificent and extravagant style, inlaid with countless gems, were practically palaces built of flesh and blood, showcasing the bizarre concepts of the Dark Eldar.
The skimmer stopped at a port.
Jumping out of the cockpit, Anna spread her arms and took a deep breath of the sticky, bloody air, a sweet smile on her charming face.
Under the light of that pitch-black 'Sun,' her voice held a hint of excitement.
"Lord Emrys, welcome to the Eldar's Eternal Capital, the legendary Dark City—Commorragh!"
"And please remember one thing—"
"Here, there is no need for any morality, pity, or compassion; all that is needed is 'pain' and 'wailing'!"
The first impression Emrys had of Commorragh was—dirty, chaotic, dilapidated, and foul-smelling. The scene that greeted his eyes almost made him feel like he was back in the Underhive of Loceal.
Underfoot was a sticky, tar-like gelatinous substance, an unknown material that coated the walls of all the low-lying buildings. Wild plants grew rampant, and from the crisscrossing alleys, faint screams could be heard.
It was clearly a port, yet it looked exactly like a garbage dump!
"Are you sure it's here?" Emrys frowned, his head feeling lightheaded from the indescribable stench.
Didn't they say the Dark Eldar liked extravagance and splendor? Why would they stay in such a wretched place?
Honestly, Loceal's Underhive was hundreds of times better than this dilapidated place. It was hard to imagine the Dark Eldar living in such a filthy, foul-smelling environment.
This made Emrys suspect that Anna had taken the wrong path.
"Lord Emrys, I apologize." Anna also pinched her nose, her face full of disgust, and said, "This is Commorragh's transport port, so it's naturally a bit chaotic. The Spire District, where the Archon lord resides, is still very far from here."
"Then why didn't we just dock at the port in the Spire District?" Emrys' brows furrowed tightly.
"Well—" Anna looked a bit embarrassed and whispered, "Actually, Commorragh has had a bit of a minor incident recently. All the upper-level ports have been closed, and currently, we can only enter Commorragh from here."
"What happened?" Emrys asked again, feeling a bit nervous. Could it be related to the Emperor's entrustment?
"Lord Emrys, I apologize." Anna shook her head, looking helpless, and spread her hands, saying, "What exactly happened is not something a humble succubus like me would know. The order I received was to take you to see the Archon lord. As for anything else, I am completely unaware."
Emrys gave her a meaningful look.
Was she truly unaware, or was she deliberately hiding something?
He was no longer a naive youth. After experiencing so many things, he had long since developed an iron will and a discerning eye.
From Anna's subtle expressions, Emrys realized that perhaps this trip to Commorragh was not as simple as it seemed.
The upper ports are closed, so we docked at the lower level?
Heh heh—this excuse might fool children, but to try and deceive him was a bit too naive.
However, since Anna chose to go from the bottom to the top, although the specific reason remained unknown, Emrys believed there was no malicious intent.
Adhering to the principle of seeing through without speaking, Emrys subtly gave a look to Telek, and then slowly said, "Alright, let's go. I hope to see the Archon lord as soon as possible."
"No problem."
Anna subtly breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly somewhat fortunate, then took out two gray robes from the cockpit of the skimmer.
"Lord Emrys, the lower levels of Commorragh are very chaotic. To avoid unnecessary conflicts, please, you and he, put on these clothes."
Now, Emrys was 100% certain that Commorragh was not just, as Anna said, merely having its upper ports closed.
Landing at the lower port was perhaps to conceal their tracks, and wearing these gray robes was to hide their identities? Emrys' eyes narrowed slightly, vaguely guessing a possibility.
But at present, he had no more evidence to confirm his guess, so he took the robes and put them on.
The gray robe was very loose and could almost completely cover his appearance.
At the same time, Anna handed over two button-sized devices.
"Lord Emrys, these two devices can help you and him mask your identification signals, which is very important in Commorragh."
"Alright."
After Emrys and Telek completed their series of disguises, they formally stepped onto the soil of Commorragh with Anna.
The lower levels of Commorragh were essentially no different from the Imperial Underhives, filled with the corpses of dead slaves, foul excretions, and waste materials.
If there was one thing worth noting, it was probably the omnipresent—'ran'.
This 'ran' could also be considered a Commorragh specialty.
Compared to the Indians Emrys saw in the news in his previous life, Commorragh, built by the Dark Eldar, had clearly reached a new high in this regard, completely breaking through the limits of human perception.
That much was understandable, or at least barely so.
But what he saw next truly opened Emrys' eyes.
A 'creature' that had been modified, or perhaps not even a creature, with a bloated, obese, massive body, piled high with repulsive fat, like a 'mountain of flesh', surrounded by dozens of emaciated, almost skeletal people.
Emrys' eyelids twitched wildly, and he quickly averted his gaze, afraid that if he looked for another second, he wouldn't be able to resist pulling out his gun and blowing that thing up!
"This is something those Haemonculi research," Anna explained thoughtfully. "It's just a bit disgusting and not very popular, so it was thrown into the lower levels."
"Let's go."
Emrys frowned, not wanting to look at that thing again, fearing he might get a sty.
"Then—would you like to experience me, lord Emrys?" Anna provocatively traced her slender and long index finger along her lips, her eyes releasing a strong desire for intimacy.
"Since you've come to Commorragh anyway, why not give it a try? Trust me—as a Dark Eldar succubus, I guarantee it will be completely different from any other creatures you've experienced before."
"No, thank you."
Emrys took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away.
"I have no such desires for non-human races."
"Is that so?"
Anna clearly didn't believe his statement, pouting her small lips and saying, "Isn't that little bitch from Samhain your slave?"
"—" Emrys shot her a glance and said coldly, "While I'm too lazy to meddle in your conflicts with the Craftworld Eldar, I came to Commorragh for a serious matter, not to listen to your nonsense. In front of me, put away your petty tricks, or else... I don't mind letting him break your limbs. I believe Telek would be very happy to do so."
Along the way, he had become utterly fed up with the succubus' repeated provocations, so he simply spoke his mind directly.
What kind of thing was this?
How could she even be compared to Hill My Lady!
He, Emrys, was not some useless noble whose mind was only filled with matters below the belt. He had no interest whatsoever in what a Dark Eldar tasted like!
The Custodian standing beside him subtly shifted his gaze, his blood-red tactical visor mixed with a hint of icy killing intent, enveloping Anna.
Sensing the seriousness in Emrys' tone, the smile on the succubus Anna's face immediately vanished, replaced by an extremely solemn expression.
"Yes, lord Emrys, I will take you to see the Archon lord now."
Being in Commorragh, was a slow death for him.
This was Avkar's current situation, especially after witnessing the "Commorragh specialties" along the way, which had completely broken his bottom line.
His worldview, painstakingly built over decades across two lifetimes—his previous and current—had utterly collapsed.
It had to be said.
No wonder the Dark Eldar proudly claimed to be the sole legitimate inheritors of the ancient Eldar Imperium, the 'true Yellow Banner'.
Just the myriad of bizarre practices in the lower levels of Commorragh were enough to 'open his eyes'; he dared not imagine how truly extravagant the genuine Dark Eldar's games were!
To screw heaven, earth, and air.
This phrase, when applied to other races, was at most a noun, but when applied to the Dark Eldar, it was a definite adjective!
Only at this moment, seeing it with his own eyes, did Avkar finally understand that his previous mental "filth" was, without exaggeration, as pure as a virgin compared to the Dark Eldar!
The race that could give birth to Slaanesh—their depravity and madness were unimaginable.
Thinking of this, Avkar couldn't help but give Anna a thumbs-up, sincerely exclaiming, "You guys really know how to have fun."
Anna brushed her hair back, chuckling, "Lord Avkar, what you've seen are just the most basic forms of entertainment. If you're truly interested, once we meet lord Archon, I can take you to more exclusive venues to experience true 'art.' I guarantee your satisfaction."
"No need, I'm a person of simple desires, not fond of women, thank you."
Avkar immediately smiled and refused.
What a joke, the basic entertainment had almost made him sick; if he were to see the high-end stuff, he'd probably have nightmares for years!
"Alright, if you change your mind, you can always tell me." Anna clicked her tongue, looking quite regretful.
The three walked for a while, finally exiting the port area and officially entering the lower levels of Commorragh.
Just then, a shriek suddenly echoed from the sky, as if something was rapidly approaching.
The three looked up.
It was a sleek, dart-like black aircraft, its steel wings cutting through the air, approaching them at an incredibly high speed.
"Is that a Raiders' gunship?!"
Anna's pupils contracted sharply, letting out a cry of alarm.
Raiders' gunship is a high-speed assault vehicle of the Dark Eldar, armed with dark lances and disintegrator cannons, used for rapid troop deployment and suppressing light armored targets. It is one of the Dark Eldar's top War Machines.
However, its appearance in the lower levels was an extremely unusual sign, causing Anna's thoughts to race.
Just then, the 'Raiders' gunship' flying by seemed to have found its target, suddenly diving down from high altitude with a chilling shriek.
Whoosh—!!
Amidst the piercing shriek, the Raiders' gunship's muzzle lit up with a terrifying black glow.
"Oh no!"
Avkar's expression changed drastically, and a surge of psychic power instantly coalesced, forming a solid barrier in front of him.
Boom!!!
A dark lance energy blast slammed into the psychic barrier. The nearly transparent wall rippled in layers from the energy explosion, and a visible shockwave spread out, blowing away unfortunate slaves and building rooftops nearby.
But the Raiders' gunship's attack clearly wasn't over, as it indiscriminately rained down ammunition on their area.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Terrifying explosions instantly swept across hundreds of meters. The Dark Eldar's dark matter energy cannons had power that even surpassed human main battle tanks; each shot was enough to make the ground tremble and ignite the atmospheric temperature.
The surging shockwaves roared like an invisible pair of hands, completely leveling the surrounding low-rise houses!
Whoosh—!
Seeing the area below reduced to artillery ruins, the Raiders' gunship braked sharply in mid-air, hovering above, seemingly observing the target's status.
Thick smoke billowed, and flames burned.
Suddenly, a gust of wind, rising from an unknown source, dispersed the pervasive gunpowder smoke, revealing a young man with black, disheveled hair. His gaze, from dozens of meters away, met that of the Dark Eldar on the Raiders' gunship.
"Had your fun bombing?"
Avkar snorted coldly. Even with the best temper, being subjected to a barrage of explosions would make anyone furious.
He stretched his five fingers into the void, then clenched them abruptly.
"Get down here—!!!"
Boom!!!
The previously hovering Raiders' gunship suddenly seemed to be gripped by a force. The pilot was terrified, struggling to control the gunship, pushing the engines to maximum, attempting to break free from the gravitational control.
However, the Raiders' gunship vibrated violently, but the gravitational force grew stronger and stronger, until the entire gunship was dragged down, slamming hard into the ground.
Boom!
The Raiders' gunship plunged headfirst into the ground.
Fortunately, the Dark Eldar's engineering quality was good; the gunship was only severely damaged, and the pilot inside was dazed and disoriented from the impact.
But before he could regain his senses, he saw a huge figure flying like a cannonball, smashing the gunship's protective canopy with his bare hands, then grabbing him by the neck, roughly dragging him out of the cockpit, and throwing him onto the ground.
Immediately after, another kick landed on the Dark Eldar's back, the immense force causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Avkar slowly walked up to the Dark Eldar, slowly squatted down, and grabbed his head.
"Tell me, who sent you to kill me?"
The target of this gunship was too clear; it was definitely not a simple case of mistaken identity.
Which meant... someone in Commorragh wanted him dead!
Avkar's gaze was chilling as he gripped the Dark Eldar's head.
"Tell me, and I'll give you a quick end."
However, facing his interrogation, the Dark Eldar merely sneered, then decisively bit through the poison sac under his tongue, rapidly losing his life within seconds.
Avkar, who had tried to stop him but was a step too late, his face growing even darker, turned to a bewildered Anna, saying coldly, "Is this how your Archon entertains guests?!"
Tyrakus' eyes were fierce, like a beast ready to rampage at any moment.
"No, no—this is absolutely not lord Vect's intention." Anna swallowed, explaining in a panic.
"Then what's going on?"
Avkar's gaze was grim; he didn't fully believe Anna's explanation.
"This is a Raiders' gunship, a rare item even among the Dark Eldar, isn't it? If it's not your Archon, then who could it be?"
A Raiders' gunship is a War Machine; if not the Archon, who else would have the authority to deploy it?!
In her panic, Anna seemed to recall something. She rushed to the crashed Raiders' gunship, inspected it carefully for a moment, and upon discovering a familiar emblem, she couldn't help but exclaim, "It's—it's them?!"
"Who is it?"
Avkar inquired.
"Lord Ironthorn's Kabal!" Anna looked at the emblem on the Raiders' gunship, which resembled intertwined steel thorns, her pupils constricting violently.
"Ironthorn Cabal?"
Emrys had never heard that name before, and even Tyrakks was unfamiliar with it.
But he couldn't be blamed; after all, intelligence regarding the Dark Eldar and Commorragh was extremely rare within the Imperium of Man. Even when Guilliman, in his capacity as Regent, accessed the Terra archives, he could only find a very small amount.
Suddenly!
Before Emrys could even ask why this "Ironthorn Cabal" wanted to assassinate him, Tyrakks, the Custodian Guard standing beside him, suddenly sprang into action like a beast with keen senses.
Boom!
The filthy ground, covered in viscous excrement, was forcefully stomped by the Custodian Guard, generating visible air currents and then an explosive sound like a sonic boom.
A Custodian Guard in his adamantium power armor far surpassed a Primaris Space Marine in both strength and speed. He was, in the truest sense of the word, a… Super Warrior!
Tyrakks, like a rampaging armored vehicle, smashed through the dilapidated architectural ruins.
At the same time, a black figure suddenly flashed out of the ruins. Without stopping after landing, he accelerated and charged towards Emrys. "As expected, I am the target."
Emrys' eyelids slightly lowered as he calmly watched the black figure rushing towards him.
The Dark Eldar's target—no, more accurately, the "Ironthorn Cabal" mentioned by Anna—their target was him.
As he pondered, the black figure was already only a few meters from Emrys.
This distance was enough for a fatal blow!
The black figure pulled out a dagger. To ensure a one-hit kill, he opted for close combat, which also ensured that it wouldn't be deflected by any "Void Shield" device Emrys might have.
However, just then…
Amidst a roaring current of air, almost like a collapsing tsunami, a furious golden figure violently shattered the sound barrier formed by layers of air, catching up to the black figure with an extremely brutal and crushing momentum.
"You despicable wretch, how dare you act so presumptuously before me?!" Tyrakks growled. His power halberd, symbolizing the defense of the Golden Throne, lit up. With a powerful swing, it cut through the air, leaving a scorching, destructive trail of light!
Swish!
The black figure was effortlessly cut in half by Tyrakks.
The moment the flesh was severed, Tyrakks' war halberd swung again, mercilessly severing his head to ensure no accidents. This was the Lord of the Sentinels!
Because the cut was so fast, blood accumulated in the cranial cavity. As the head fell, it instantly atomized into a blood mist, spraying all around.
Thud.
The black figure attempting to assassinate Emrys was instantly dealt with. His body fell, landing on the viscous, excrement-covered ground.
Although only an instant passed from the assassin's discovery to his elimination by Tyrakks, for Anna, it felt like an eternity.
Anna's cold sweat seeped out.
Even she, a succubus, hadn't detected an enemy stealthily lurking within ten meters of Emrys. Looking at the severed head and the blood mist gushing from the cranial cavity, she was immediately filled with dread and lingering fear!
If it weren't for the keen senses of this Custodian Guard, perhaps—this 'assassin' would have already completed his mission!
And as an important guest, someone personally ordered to be received by the High Elector, if he were to die here, she, as one of his guards, would likely be implicated and thrown to those perverted 'Haemonculi'—who even the Dark Eldar feared—to be toyed with or used as experimental subjects.
At the thought of this outcome, Anna shivered, her muscles tensing, her pupils shrinking, scanning her surroundings like a radar.
At the same time, she sternly warned them, "Be careful, this is an assassination squad! They always operate in groups of several people for assassination missions!"
"Gibberish (We've been discovered! Kill them!)!"
No sooner had Anna issued her warning than the previously calm surroundings exploded. A dozen figures burst out from all directions!
"Ugh!"
Emrys snorted, his brows twisted into a knot, wondering who he had offended this time?!
How could he be greeted so "enthusiastically" the moment he arrived in Commorragh, before even meeting anyone!
"You wish not!!!" Tyrakks roared, his power halberd sweeping in all directions like a giant windmill. The terrifying force stirred up layers of horrifying air currents, forcefully blocking these black figures.
"Gibberish (Don't use ranged weapons, he has a Void Shield)!"
The person who seemed to be the leader among the black figures spoke.
"Oh, you've done your research quite thoroughly, haven't you?" Emrys raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the leader, and he sneered, "Very well, I choose you!"
The next moment, he drew from his personal space a greatsword wreathed in black flames, its malice so dense it could even affect reality.
The daemon Sword, Drach'nyen!
Born from the first murder in human history, it held extraordinary symbolic significance. Its previous wielder was the infamous Chaos Warmaster Abaddon, who plunged the Imperium and the galaxy into turmoil. But its current wielder was him!
In fact, the Lion had once suggested that Emrys permanently seal this daemon sword, but he refused. After all, it was a demonic artifact, and a top-tier one at that; he was truly reluctant to just discard it.
Besides, the more lice, the less one cares.
He already had enough Chaos-related trinkets; one more daemon sword wouldn't make a difference.
So, in the end, the Lion agreed to temporarily entrust the daemon Sword Drach'nyen to Emrys for safekeeping.
"Perfect. I'll use you all to test the power of this 'daemon Sword'." Emrys grinned. His foot stomped down, and he instantly vanished from his spot, leaving a trailing afterimage!
The leader clearly hadn't expected that, despite being heavily surrounded, Emrys, the assassination target, would not only not flee but even dare to charge at him. For a moment, he was taken aback.
But very quickly, he became enraged, "Kill him!"
Anna was also terrified by Emrys' actions, and in her fright, she immediately rushed forward, "No, they are all elite assassination squads!"
Tyrakks stepped sideways and swung his halberd. Within three exchanges, several Dark Eldar from the assassination squad were cut down by him.
"Hmph, courting death!"
The assassination squad leader scoffed inwardly. His seemingly slender but extremely resilient high-frequency molecular blade, coated with deadly poison, flashed like a streak of light, stabbing towards Emrys.
"Too slow!" However, in Emrys' eyes now, the leader's movements were like slow motion.
He stepped aside, narrowly dodging the incoming sword thrust.
The daemon Sword Drach'nyen, wreathed in Chaos flames and a monstrous curse of malice, directly shattered the assassination squad leader's blade with Emrys' downward, power-charged strike.
Clang!
The blade shattered. The immense force numbed the Cabal leader's arm and tore his tiger's mouth, a look of horror appearing in his pupils.
"Bro—
"Didn't the intel say Emrys was just an ordinary human psyker?!"
"To shatter a Dark Eldar's high-frequency molecular blade with one sword, his strength is almost comparable to an Ork's! What were those people who gathered the intel even doing?!"
The leader of the assassination squad was unwilling.
He couldn't believe it; he, the esteemed leader of an assassination squad, would actually be inferior in strength to a mere human?!
However, as Emrys sheathed his sword, he punched him in the face.
Bang!
Crack—the sound of bone shattering, from the skull to the brain, instantly disoriented the assassination squad leader. The last vestiges of thought in his mind were scattered by that punch.
Human?
No. This guy was a monster in human skin!
Even the armor on his body was shattered by that punch, showing how terrifying it was. Even if an Orc came, they might not be able to do it, right?
Damn the intelligence officer!
They were set up!
The assassination target, 'Emrys,' was not an ordinary human at all.
"Gravity Surge!"
Emrys growled.
The assassination squad, attempting to encircle him, was pinned to the ground as if by tens, even hundreds, of times gravity. The ground beneath their feet collapsed, bones made horrifying sounds, and no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't break free from this powerful control.
Next was Terracks' performance, fully demonstrating the Adeptus Custodes' training. Within a few seconds, he had cleared out all the assassins.
Bodies lay everywhere, bloodied.
In a flash, all but the leader of the dozen or so assassination squad members lay dead here. Terracks stood with his halberd, his gaze cold, vigilant of his surroundings.
Anna was even more stunned.
She had originally thought Emrys rushing in was a suicide mission, but in less than a minute, the powerful assassination squad was completely wiped out!
"Elite Assassination Squad—is that all?"
Emrys was slightly disappointed, his eyelids lowered as he looked down at the assassination squad leader, who still looked shocked and disbelieving.
"No need to rush to commit suicide. I can give you a chance to answer a few questions. I'll let you go back, and you can deliver a message to your Archon for me. How about it?"
The assassination squad leader was silent for a few seconds.
Then, he slowly nodded.
"Alright, ask away."
"Oh, he actually agreed?" Emrys had just been trying his luck, not expecting this guy to actually agree.
The assassination squad leader seemed to have seen Emrys' doubt and let out a few sinister sneers.
"We are not like humans. Loyalty—
in Commorragh, is a luxury. And we only took an assassination mission. Essentially, who you are and what grievances you have with the employer are irrelevant to us."
Understood, it's like an employment relationship.
Don't think that all Dark Eldar are heroes. When they can save their lives, they will never hesitate. The Raiders' pilot from before was an anomaly.
"Alright, I understand." Emrys nodded slightly and asked.
"First question, who sent you?"
"Meishar."
The assassination squad leader betrayed the one who hired them without hesitation.
Emrys understood and turned to look at Anna.
"It really is them!" Upon hearing that name, Anna immediately gritted her teeth and said with hatred.
"Meishar is the leader of the Ironthorn Cabal's 'Untainted' and also the direct leader of the Archon's personal guard."
The Ironthorn Cabal again?
Emrys frowned, but why were they so intent on assassinating him?
He suppressed his doubts and continued to ask.
"Second question, what is the real reason behind the closure of Commorragh's upper port?"
"You don't know?"
The assassination squad leader's voice was filled with strong doubt as he looked at him in surprise.
"Should I know?"
Emrys countered.
"Heh—it seems this succubus beside you has hidden quite a few things from you." The assassination squad leader sneered, turning to look at Anna.
"Lord Emrys, I—"
Anna immediately panicked. Just as she was about to explain, she met Emrys' cold gaze, which felt like a huge stone pressing down on her heart.
"Shut up."
Emrys' eyes were icy, his voice devoid of any emotion, chillingly cold.
"I'm asking him now. Your questions can wait."
Anna gave a wry smile, feeling like she had shot herself in the foot.
"It's your turn to speak."
Emrys' gaze returned to the assassination squad leader.
"I'm not clear on the exact reason, but not long ago, the Supreme Archon suddenly announced the closure of the upper port, prohibiting all logistics and personnel movement."
The assassination squad leader paused, then continued.
"Immediately after, a faction led by the 'Ironthorn Cabal' announced that the Supreme Archon was unwell, and they would be responsible for all matters in Commorragh until the Supreme Archon recovered."
...Usurpation of power?
Emrys' eyes flickered, and he sneered.
"What 'unwell'? It's clearly imprisonment, taking the opportunity to conspire and seize power."
"Perhaps, perhaps not…" The assassination squad leader said indifferently.
"This has nothing to do with us. The mission to assassinate you came a few days after that. Meishar's target was a human following the succubus Anna. That's all I know."
"Last question."
Emrys asked.
"You just mentioned 'a faction led by the Ironthorn Cabal,' which means other factions also joined. Who are they?"
"Hehe."
The assassination squad leader suddenly let out a sinister sneer.
"If I were you, I'd leave Commorragh immediately—"
"That's not the answer I want."
Emrys' eyes narrowed slightly, and he increased the pressure on his hand, his magic sword pressing against the other's neck.
"The Cursed Grudge Cabal, the Rune Splitter Cabal, the Skinning Bloodskull Cabal, and—the Obsidian Rose Cabal!"
"That's impossible!"
Anna's pupils constricted violently, and she shrieked in horror.
"The Obsidian Rose Cabal—how could they betray the Supreme Archon?!"
"Ah, so you're from the Obsidian Rose Cabal?" The assassination squad leader only then noticed the rose at Anna's waist and couldn't help but sneer.
"Why don't you ask your Archon that question yourself?"
"I must be quite important—"
Emrys twitched the corner of his mouth.
But the leader of the assassination squad smiled sinisterly, looking at him meaningfully.
"I'm truly curious about your identity, that you could unite two-thirds of Commorragh's Cabal forces."
God damn, two-thirds of the Cabal forces entrenched in Commorragh, nearly half of the Dark Eldar, all want to kill him?!
If he couldn't confirm that this guy was a human, he would probably suspect that Emrys was a Farseer from some Eldar Craftworld!
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Emrys released the sword from the assassination squad leader's neck and said lightly.
"You may go. And please tell Meishar for me that I appreciate his hospitality, and I will personally pay him a visit."
"You actually kept your word?"
The assassination squad leader seemed very shocked.
...Emrys was a bit speechless. Although he admitted he wasn't a good person, there were times when he didn't mind keeping a promise, so he said exasperatedly.
"Since you thought I wouldn't keep my word, why did you agree?"
"I don't want to die, so I tried. What if?" The assassination squad leader shrugged. After standing up, he thought for a few seconds, then turned back and said meaningfully.
"If there's a chance in the future, perhaps we could cooperate—farewell, I hope you to live, interesting human."
With that, the assassination squad leader vanished into the shadows, as if he had never appeared.
In the ruins, Emrys turned and looked at Anna, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"Now, it's our turn to talk."
They clearly couldn't stay here any longer.
From the assassination attempt they just experienced, it was obvious their whereabouts had already been preemptively known by the "Ironthorn Cabal."
But the person who leaked the information shouldn't be Anna, as she was also on the Cabal's assassination list. That could only mean—the port!
Led by the Ironthorn Cabal, these Commorragh Dark Eldar noble factions, aiming to seize the Archon's authority from 'Vect', had already infiltrated every aspect, including all the lower-level ports.
If one were to think about it more seriously...
Perhaps, all the ports in Commorragh were teeming with assassination members deployed by these people.
Now that their whereabouts were completely exposed, the most urgent matter was to leave this place as quickly as possible, and re-hide their tracks. The enemy is in the open, and I am hidden—
Only by doing so could they find a way to break the deadlock. Thinking of this, Emrys slowly spoke.
"We need a place that can hide our tracks, is chaotic with people, and as much as possible, won't be discovered by them. Do you know of a place in Commorragh that meets these conditions?"
"I do. Follow me."
Anna didn't want to die, and certainly didn't want to die as a pawn, so she nodded without hesitation.
Although she was a member of the 'Obsidian Rose', from the moment the Archon treated her as a pawn and listed her as an assassination target, Anna had already, in her heart, abandoned the few 'loyalties' she had for that Archon.
As mentioned before.
Loyalty, for the Dark Eldar, was an extremely luxurious thing.
"Telarax, erase our footsteps." Before leaving, Emrys did not forget to instruct, that their traces must be completely cleared, so as not to be discovered by the Dark Eldar.
This task, for the Custodes, was basically not difficult. After all, every Custodian had participated in the 'Blood Trials', and one of the most important points was how to infiltrate the core area of the Terra Imperial Palace as an enemy without being detected. Because of this, every Custodian was extremely skilled in tracking and anti-tracking.
Just like that, the group of three quickly departed.
And not long after they left, a large number of Raiders airships, and even Venom transport ships, filled the sky above this lower-level street.
Hundreds of people surrounded this district.
Then, it was a brutal slaughter. The legions, led by Dark Eldar warriors, wantonly slaughtered all life within this district.
Blood flowed like a river, screams echoed continuously.
But soon, these screams disappeared. Hundreds of Dark Eldar warriors silently arrived at the ruins in the middle.
At this moment, a Dark Eldar, dressed in a black ornate robe, with characteristic Eldar features, but with an extremely sinister face, as if his whole body was shrouded in a chilling aura, slowly descended from a luxurious airship.
Of course, his feet would not touch the dirty ground where these bottom-feeders lived. A clean carpet was laid out as a path for him to walk.
The ornately dressed Eldar stopped, his gaze sweeping around, revealing a hint of disdain. He covered his nose with his sleeve and said coldly.
"What a disgusting place—"
But then, he arrived at a certain spot.
Then he slowly squatted down, picked up a blood-stained speck of dust with his fingertip, sniffed it at the tip of his nose, and then a chilling glint appeared in his eyes as he sneered.
"They truly are a bunch of useless people—a dozen of them, and they couldn't even take down an ordinary psyker!"
At this moment, a Dark Eldar warrior, clearly wearing high-grade armor, walked over.
"Lord Meshal, all traces have been cleared. It's basically impossible to track them."
The person leading, dressed in the black ornate robe, was none other than the leader of the personal guard of the Unstained of the Ironthorn Cabal, who had orchestrated the assassination—
—Meshal!
Meshal slowly stood up, letting the dust and sand fall from his fingertips. His five fingers suddenly clenched, and a terrifying murderous intent erupted in his pupils.
"Hmph, they won't escape—."
He elegantly wiped his hands, a smile on his face.
"To evade our pursuit and also hide their tracks, there are only a few places in Commorragh that can satisfy both these conditions."
Run?
Where could they run to?
Commorragh is both large and small!
Especially now, with the vast majority of Cabal factions joining the 'Ironthorn Cabal', they have long been able to extend their tentacles to every corner of Commorragh!
"Old City factory, Aileen District, Bone Piles, Dark Killing Grounds—" Meshal listed several locations as if reciting a treasured inventory, his eyes narrowing into crescents, and an elegant curve gracing his lips.
"Starting today, spare no expense to go to these places—"
"Find him! Kill him!"
"Yes, lord Meshal."
The Dark Eldar warrior responded solemnly.
"By the honor of the Trueborn, I swear to you—in just three days, we will present his head to you!"
"Very good." Meshal's eyes were cold. He patted his shoulder and said earnestly.
"I will have the 'Immortals' assist you. Do not disappoint me, or you should know the consequences, Davis!"
"The Trueborn will never disappoint you!"
The 'Trueborn' named Davis, under Meshal's sharp gaze, couldn't help but tremble slightly. Remembering his usual conduct, he immediately agreed solemnly.
"I await your good news, Davis."
Meshal turned and returned to the airship, but before leaving, his gaze swept over the dirty district, and a coldness instantly appeared in his eyes.
"This place—it's too dirty."
With that, the luxurious airship Meshal was riding in closed its hatch and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the sky.
Davis, expressionless, ordered the surrounding Dark Eldar warriors.
"Since lord Meshal said this place is too dirty, then—burn it down!"
In an instant, artillery fire engulfed the district. Raging fire ignited the dirty ground, high temperatures incinerated the dead bodies, and even the ruins were burned to ashes, completely wiped off the map of Commorragh.
IIII
The airship Meshal was riding returned to the top of Commorragh's spired jungle.
He tidied his appearance and then strode into the hall, which was inlaid with gold and various gems, the most precious and luxurious items in the Milky Way Galaxy, and bowed respectfully, saying.
"Lord Archon Hernandez, the assassination failed."
Where he bowed was the Archon of the "Ironthorn Cabal", and also one of the oldest and most aristocratic Dark Eldar who had personally experienced the Schism Wars—Gregory Hernandez!
Hernandez, wearing a golden mask, looked down at the blood city outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window, twirling a wine glass made from a human eyeball. The viscous, crimson liquid inside made one wonder if it was rich wine made from fresh blood.
"Understood."
Hernandez's voice was very old, and even through the golden mask, one could feel the decaying odor emanating from him.
This Archon of the "Ironthorn Cabal" seemed not at all surprised.
"I have already sent the Trueborn, led by Davis, to search those chaotic districts. I expect there will be results very soon."
Meshal still kept his head bowed, not daring to look directly at the Archon, and truthfully stated his plan.
"Hmm."
Hernandez nodded slightly, took a sip of the viscous blood plasma from his cup, and his narrow eyes under the golden mask, like a cold viper, whispered softly.
"Tell the other Archons that Emrys—must die. This is for the Dark Eldar, and also for our 'future'!"
With Anna, a local, leading the way, Emrys and Terrax soon arrived at an extremely chaotic area, the Old City factory, via a hidden path.
The Old City factory is located on the lowest level of Gomorrah.
At least, from a normal geographical perspective, this is the lowest level, inhabited by a large number of Dark Eldar half-breeds, as well as slaves of various races abducted from elsewhere, including Green Orcs, Terrax, humans, and countless other alien creatures.
Violent, crude steel pipes and cables, like the blood vessels and Veinsof a giant beast, encroached upon every inch of this place, and industrial exhaust fumes, visible everywhere, almost completely obscured the light of the 'black Sun,' leaving this place in eternal darkness.
Layers of steel, like a spider's web, collectively formed the colossal shape of this factory, and the creatures living here, without exception, were the tiny ants that maintained the factory's operation. On the dense assembly lines, these slaves were 'fairly' exploited, providing sustenance for the gigantic mechanical furnace.
Anna had a safe house here.
According to her, it was a precaution, just in case, but she hadn't expected to use it so soon.
Due to the complexity of the Old City factory, finding someone here was incredibly difficult, which was one of the main reasons Anna chose this location for her safe house.
Speaking of the safe house, it was actually a very secluded and simple room built upon the crisscrossing steel beams. It contained virtually nothing, only essentials like water and solidified nutrient paste.
"It feels like I'm back in Roselle," Emrys said, looking at the chaotic streets outside, the simple room, and the long-unseen nutrient paste. A sense of déjà vu washed over him.
"I didn't expect that after half a lifetime away, I'm coming home as a scavenger?"
"Phew, we're safe for now. They shouldn't discover us for a while." Anna collapsed onto the ground, looking at Emrys with lingering fear, and asked, "What do we do now?"
"How long do you think it will take for them to find this place?" Emrys didn't answer her question but instead asked another.
Being discovered was only a matter of time.
He wouldn't be so arrogant as to think that simply erasing their tracks would prevent the Dark Eldar, famous for assassination, from finding them.
In fact, with a little thought, one could guess their whereabouts.
With the help of two-thirds of the cabals, informants were almost everywhere in Gomorrah. In such circumstances, the places left for Emrys and his companions to hide were few.
So it was simple.
A systematic search. Although these areas were chaotic and crowded, as long as they increased their efforts, it would be impossible not to find their traces.
This was the key to Emrys' question; he needed a rough estimate of the time to decide how to act next.
"A day at the fastest, three days at the slowest."
Anna pondered for a moment and gave an approximate time.
"According to normal practice, those who will hunt us next should be the 'Trueborn.' They are the true main force of the cabal."
Trueborn, as the name implies, are naturally born offspring with pure Dark Eldar blood. These individuals often possess greater power, along with loyalty and fanaticism. They are one of the most important main forces within a cabal's power!
The previous two waves of assassins did not include any 'Trueborn,' which meant that the Ironthorn Cabal had not yet taken them seriously.
"One day, huh—"
Emrys always considered the worst-case scenario in the development of events, which allowed him to make arrangements in advance.
"Too short," he frowned. One day was not even enough time to rest, let alone make deployments.
"I suggest we retreat immediately." Terrax, upholding his mission to protect Emrys' safety, offered his advice.
"We can retreat first, then gather more forces and return."
In terms of execution difficulty, the suggestion made by Terrax was undoubtedly the most suitable for the current situation, but Emrys shook his head, looking solemn.
"I'm afraid the enemy won't give us this opportunity. Now, all the ports are full of informants. Once we are discovered, what awaits us will be their full-scale annihilation."
"But staying here is more dangerous." Terrax still disagreed with staying.
"Of course, there's another reason."
Emrys sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"My intuition tells me that if we leave now, we might never have another chance to fulfill the Emperor's entrustment."
At the mention of the Emperor, Terrax wavered.
Emrys, however, turned to Anna, a hint of coldness in his voice, and said, "I guess the current situation of your High Regent Victor is probably not good, is it? If we leave now, it will be impossible to get that 'thing' again. Am I right?"
Facing his interrogation, Anna's face showed a hint of bitterness.
"You're right—lord Victor has already been imprisoned by Grigori Hernandez."
"Tell me the whole story!"
Emrys' brow furrowed, his voice deep and stern.
"I want the complete sequence of events."
"All right."
At this point, Anna had no need to conceal anything further, so she laid out the entire sequence of events.
Half a month ago, High Regent Victor summoned the leaders of the major cabals for a secret discussion, but the specific content remained unknown.
The only thing known was that after this meeting, High Regent Victor, who had been healthy, suddenly suffered severe injuries and fell into a coma. Grigori Hernandez, the leader of the Ironthorn Cabal, who had long coveted power and plotted rebellion, seized this opportunity. He united several cabal leaders and launched a rebellion.
It was at this time that Anna received orders from High Regent Victor's personal guards to carry out the Regent's command: bring Emrys to Gomorrah, as only he could change everything.
Then, shortly after Anna's secret departure, intelligence arrived that High Regent Victor was unwell and had fallen into a deep coma for recuperation. Grigori Hernandez then took over the highest authority in Gomorrah.
This was the entire sequence of events, but from Emrys' perspective, it was shrouded in mystery.
"I'm very curious, why was the Ironthorn Cabal able to so smoothly persuade the other cabals to join the rebellion?"
"Secondly, why did your High Regent believe that only I could resolve all of this?"
Two questions in a row came from Emrys' mouth.
However, Anna shook her head blankly.
"I don't know either, I only know that—ever since your person gave that thing to lord High Regent, he seemed to be planning some scheme, and lord Victor's severe injuries also seem to be related to that 'thing.'"
Round and round, it came back to the starting point.
Emrys couldn't help but sigh; things were getting more and more complicated.
The relentless pursuit of the Ironthorn Cabal, the enormous mystery shrouding Commorragh, the inexplicably imprisoned Archon Vect, and the mysterious item the Emperor tasked him to retrieve.
Each of these matters, one after another,
were filled with enigmatic answers, all connected to that "item," and likewise, to Emrys.
He closed his eyes, contemplating his next move.
Emrys had a good habit: when encountering trouble, he would first categorize things by urgency and importance, then deal with them in order.
The advantage of doing this was that he could handle the most urgent and severe issues under the current circumstances without delaying the overall plan.
So, let's sort out his thoughts.
Fortunately, it was still very safe here for now, and Emrys had ample time, so there was no need to rush too much.
First, he needed to evade the Ironthorn Cabal's tracking. Only by disappearing from their sight and gaining sufficient time could he slowly plan his subsequent actions.
"That—"
Anna, seeing him suddenly fall silent and close his eyes, still felt uneasy and quietly asked, "We"
"Shut up."
Emrys lifted his eyelids, his gaze sharp and cold.
"I need to think. No talking."
At his glare, Anna deflated like a punctured ball, huddling in the corner without a word.
Tyrax also maintained silence, guarding Emrys' side, but positioned closer to the door, his gaze scanning every movement outside, wary of Dark Eldar pursuers.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Emrys remained silent, his eyes closed, his breathing rhythmic. Anna even began to suspect if the bastard had fallen asleep.
Suddenly, Emrys opened his eyes, a slight frown on his brow, and looked at Anna.
"It seems the Ironthorn Cabal's tracking efficiency is far more severe than even the worst-case scenario you anticipated."
"They—they've caught up?!"
Anna's heart jumped.
It had only been six hours, and the Ironthorn Cabal had already tracked them here?!
"How do you know?" After the initial shock, Anna's first reaction was suspicion.
"Haven't you been here the whole time? How do you know they've caught up?"
"Heh, do you think I'm like you?"
Emrys sneered and beckoned.
Then, under Anna's gaze, something almost as small as an ant crawled up Emrys' palm through a crack in the ground. "They told me," Emrys said coolly, getting up from the ground, brushing off the dust from his clothes, and calmly stated, "These are biological reconnaissance machines. As soon as we entered the Old City factory, I scattered them along the way to scout and alert."
"Thirty minutes ago, hundreds of people disguised as slaves secretly infiltrated the Old City factory area and are now searching everywhere for our traces."
The reason he could survive for so long under the very noses of the Four Gods wasn't just due to the 'Emperor's' protection; more importantly, Emrys was sufficiently careful and cautious.
These latest models of biological Transformers were his eyes and ears.
Their tiny size and biological camouflage made them difficult to notice most of the time, which became their unique advantage.
Moreover, despite their small size, their computational ability was by no means weak. Thanks to Cybertron's unique micro-compression technology, each biological reconnaissance Transformer could not only create different models based on tasks but also thoroughly analyze the target's body shape, height, pupils,
weight, heartbeat, muscles, bone structure, and blood model. They could even capture the pheromones continuously emitted by living organisms.
As long as a creature is a living, carbon-based life form, it will inevitably emit invisible pheromones. By analyzing the strength of these pheromones, much secret intelligence can be acquired.
In other words, in front of biological reconnaissance Transformers, disguise becomes a joke? Unless you can perform Sun Wukong's Seventy-Two Transformations!
Emrys' greatest gain was bringing the Transformers into the Imperium's dominion.
Such an intelligent silicon-based life form is indispensable, whether in large-scale wars or small-scale battlefields.
"How could this be—so fast—"
By now, having witnessed the power of these micro-organisms, Anna believed Emrys and asked in a panic.
"Don't panic. Panic is the most useless emotion; it will only interfere with your ability to make correct judgments."
Emrys calmly explained the current situation, then asked Anna.
"According to their search speed, it will take at least another hour and a half to pinpoint our exact location."
"Is an hour and a half a lot of time?"
Anna was on the verge of tears, her face full of despair.
"With so little time, we won't have time to move. And outside, it's very likely that
they've already blockaded it. We can't escape!"
"Aren't you a Succubus?" Emrys frowned.
"Such poor psychological fortitude? How were you trained normally?"
"What's wrong with being a Succubus? Can't a Succubus be scared?!" Anna gritted her teeth in anger.
"I'm not one of your bio-engineered people,
besides, Dark Eldar are inherently emotional!"
Makes sense...
Emrys couldn't be bothered to argue, and said indifferently.
"If you want to live, then obediently listen to me. Otherwise—if you're captured and taken back by them, I shouldn't need to tell you what your fate will be, right?"
Thinking of the Haemonculi, Anna shivered, and quickly nodded.
"You say it, I promise to listen!"
"Very good."
Emrys nodded, not fearing that Anna was lying, after all, they were in the same boat.
From the moment Anna was ordered to pick up and drop off Emrys, it meant she was branded with the 'Vect' faction's label; whether she was or not, they wouldn't let her go.
The struggle for power and political infighting are far more brutal than war. A small fry like Anna had no right to choose at all.
Emrys used psychic energy to carve a line of pulsating coordinates in the void.
"I need to know where this place is."
Anna stared at the line of 'coordinates' floating in the void, formed by psychic flames, and couldn't help but show surprise.
"This place is 'Skullcrush Corridor'?!"
"Skullcrush Corridor?"
Emrys' brow furrowed slightly, as if he could already feel a terrifying aura of blood rushing towards him.
"Skullcrush Corridor—is one of the areas in the Dark Killing Fields, and it's a place known for blood and slaughter. Most of the people here are insane." Anna seemed to hold a great deal of apprehension towards this place.
"Take me there."
Emrys said.
"Do we really have to go?" Anna seemed very reluctant, clearly a little afraid of this 'Skullcrush Corridor'.
"I don't think
this is a good place."
"Unless you have another way."
Emrys sneered, pointing outside.
"They'll find us here very soon. It's either being captured by them or going to 'Skullcrush Corridor.' You choose."
"Then let's go to 'Skullcrush Corridor' then."
Anna made her choice without hesitation.
No matter how terrifying the madmen of 'Skullcrush Corridor' were, they were not as bad as a single hair of the 'Haemonculi'!